High-energy Astrophysics

Vak2018-2019

Admission Requirements

None

Description

This course discusses high-energy astrophysics. High-energy processes are ubiquitous in the Universe. X-rays are emitted or absorbed by a broad range of sources ranging from the solar system, stars, the interstellar medium, compact black hole environments and active galactic nuclei to clusters of galaxies and the diffuse gas of the cosmic web.

Two main topics form the core of this course:

The production mechanisms of thermal X-ray emission in a broad range of environments, ranging from collision-dominated plasmas to photo-ionized gas.

During the course, several real-life practical examples from the most recent and ongoing work in this field will be presented. Lectures and an obligatory computer class form the core of the course. The lecture notes contain exercises that can be made at home to test the understanding of the course material. There is no homework for the computer class.

Course objectives

After completion of this course, you will be able to summarize various aspects of high-energy sources in the Universe.

This means that after this course you will be able to:

Classify and characterize X-ray spectra of a broad range of cosmic X-ray sources according to the dominant physical processes

Make exercises on the physical processes that contribute to X-ray emission

Quantitatively describe the structure and spectra of accretion disks in their basic form

Assessment method

Finishing the computer class and delivering the report is obligatory to take the written exam. For a retake exam, the results of the computer class will remain valid. No retake of the computer exercise is possible.

Blackboard

Blackboard is not used in this course.

Reading list

Lecture notes and all other course material will appear online at the homepage of the lecturer.

Registration

Via uSis. More information about signing up for your classes can be found here. Exchange and Study Abroad students, please see the Prospective students website for information on how to apply.